Cutler lauds line amid injury concerns

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler rests on the bench with receiver Brandon Marshall late iin their game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune Photo)

Jay Cutler’s concussion symptoms cleared up enough late last week to allow him to rescue a plodding Chicago Bears offense Sunday en route to a much-needed 28-10 victory over the Vikings at Soldier Field.

Cutler enjoyed a day of celebration Monday during his weekly segment on the “Waddle & Silvy Show” on WMVP-AM 1000, broadcast live from Westwood Tavern in Schaumburg. But the numerous Bears injuries -- including a season-ending knee injury to guard Lance Louis -- took some of the glow off the victory.

“It was good to get back out there with the guys and just compete," Cutler said. “I tried to bring a little extra fire to practice and get guys going and keep everyone’s spirits up. We’ve got a veteran group. We’ve got a lot of guys who have been in a lot of different situations. A couple of losses here and there are not really going to shake this team’s self confidence.”

Cutler said he felt as if he created plays outside of the pocket more often against the Vikings than in previous games.

“Some of them were not designed, just moving around. But I thought we executed the bootlegs and the play-actions pretty well,” he said. “I think I played pretty well. I missed a few. I feel bad about the Lance Louis injury (that landed the guard on the season-ending injured reserve list Monday). I missed that (pass that was intercepted and led to Louis being blind-sided by Jared Allen).

"(That's) on me, and things like that happen afterward. I played OK. There are still some things we need to clean up. I thought the offensive line played well. The game plan was well-constructed. Mike Tice called a good one, kept them off balance.”

Cutler praised the makeshift offensive line that was forced to make adjustments after knee injuries to Louis and Chris Spencer. Ankle injuries to running back Matt Forte and cornerback Charles Tillman also are concerns moving forward.

“We're getting along as well as we can,” Cutler said of the offense. “Still missed opportunities out there. We’ve got to get going.

“Lance has been solid for the last couple of years. ... To lose him would be tough.”

Asked about receiving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for flipping the football at a Vikings defender out of bounds, which stalled a Bears' drive, Cutler said: “Frowned upon. You can’t. ... Took some points off the board. We got a (Robbie Gould) field goal there and should have had seven. I’ve got to be smarter than that. If anyone else on offense had done that, I would have yelled at him and said: ‘Hey, can’t happen here.’ I can’t do it again, obviously.”

Cutler’s passing numbers were fairly modest Sunday (23 of 31 for 188 yards and one TD), but his mere presence apparently helped lift the confidence of the entire team. He was sacked once, intercepted once and had a passer rating of 86.5.

The Bears’ passing offense ranks last in the NFL, yet the team’s record belies that statistic. Cutler has completed 174 of 286 passes (60.8 percent) for 2002 yards and 13 TDs. He has been intercepted 11 times and sacked 29 times. His passer rating this season is 81.1.

“I would love to throw for 450 (yards). I don’t think it is reasonable to play like that every game,” Cutler said.